by Tawny Taylor
A little lightbulb blinked on in her head. “Oh, I understand now. It was what I said. I ... I didn’t mean to use that expression make love. I was swept up in the moment.”
“I know you were. But I still can’t continue if there’s any chance you might have some kind of expectation for the future, might be feeling something ...”
She was. God help her, she was feeling all kinds of somethings for him. And she had more than a niggling suspicion he was feeling a something or two for her, too. That was why she’d said what she did. And not just because she’d been caught up in the moment. Dammit, why was he being this way? “You’re saying there’s absolutely no chance we might someday decide to take this relationship to the next level?”
“No chance.” His expression reaffirmed his words, though there was something in his eyes that suggested he was perhaps feeling slightly conflicted. “Not with you. Not with anyone.”
Was there someone else?
“Are you married?” she asked.
“No. I’ve never been married. I’ll never be married.”
“I just wondered if that might be why you are so dead set against building a relationship with someone.”
“It’s not. I have my reasons.”
“Will you tell me?”
“Why?”
“So I can understand. Don’t you think I deserve that much? When we scene, you expect me to trust you. And I do. Without a second thought. Won’t you trust me a little?”
“It’s not a question of trusting you.”
“If that’s not it , then what ... ?”
“This is why I thought it might be better if we didn’t scene anymore.” He shook his head. He turned from her. Stretched a thick arm, bracing it against the door frame. His head bent down.
“No. Zane. If that’s why you’ve stayed away, I’m glad we’re having this talk now. I’m okay with this. I want you to be my master. My friend. It’s enough. I don’t need any more than that. I don’t want more. I like being independent. I like making my own choices in life.” Mandy waited, breathless. How she longed to stomp over there, yank him away from that wall, and force him to face her. But she knew if she did that, he’d shut down completely. At this point, despite the fact that he had his back to her, he still seemed somewhat emotionally open to her. “Hell, I don’t even like working for someone else.”
If only he would show her just a tiny peek of what lay below that thick armor he always wore.
“It’s no wonder you’re a PI,” he said. “You don’t give up.”
“They call me Bulldog for a reason.”
“Yeah. I’m starting to understand that now.”
“You should’ve understood it a long time ago, when you kept catching me sneaking cameras into your parties.”
He turned to face her again. Hallelujah. “I like your stubborn perseverance. It’s ... charming.”
The tension was easing. He was relaxing a little. Keep it light. She turned on her charm, donning her best teasing come-hither look. “But is that a trait you’d look for in a submissive?”
“Perhaps.”
“Really? That surprises me.”
“I’ve trained more than my share of obedient submissives. Submissives who pretend to be disobedient.”
“I don’t pretend.”
“That’s what makes you so”—he took a step toward her—“much ...” He took another. His eyes glimmered. His lips curled into a sexy half smile. “Fun.” He kissed her again. And, oh, what a kiss it was. Now they were getting somewhere. The trick with Zane was to avoid being too direct. Better to dance around the issues a little, touching upon them here and there without pushing too hard.
She’d get her answer. Like she always did. It was just a matter of time.
Zane’s tongue traced the seam of her mouth, and she opened to him, welcoming his decadent flavor inside. He tasted so good. He smelled even better. Like she had before, she let her hands slide under his shirt, mapping the lines cutting across his glorious abdomen. He was lean. Strong. Thickly muscled. One hundred percent hard, alpha dom. Her dom, she hoped, for a very, very long time.
She let him decide when to break the kiss. As a reward, she received more nibbles on her neck. More nips on her earlobe. And one bone-melting male growl in her ear.
If that didn’t make a submissive girl fall to her knees, nothing would.
He stepped away. His expression hardened. Now he was the cool, controlled dom who made her melt. “Take off those clothes. I want to see you.”
She did a slow striptease for him, watching the fire in his eyes blaze hotter with every garment she removed. By the time she was standing nude before him, her thighs were damp with her juices, her pussy was warm and clenching and aching to be filled, and her nipples were hard points. His jaw was clenched, his face the most charming shade of red.
“I am going to punish you for that,” he grumbled.
She was almost certain she was going to enjoy this. All worries about him losing control and snapping evaporated from her mind. This was Zane. He didn’t lose control. He would never hurt her. Not giving even a halfhearted attempt at looking remorseful, she said, “I’m sorry.”
He motioned to a kneeler. This one had an angled padded platform to support the upper body. “There. On your knees.” He helped position her on her knees, her body bent at the waist. Her ass was in the air, knees spread. He wrapped cuffs around her wrists, then fastened the cuffs to loops on the vertical supports. She couldn’t move her arms. Not more than an inch. Not even to scratch her nose. She’d never felt so physically vulnerable. She’d never been so erotically energized.
“I’m going to turn this bulldog into a pussycat.”
She had no doubt he could. But she decided it would be more fun if she didn’t make it so easy. “We’ll see about that. Bulldogs are notoriously stubborn.”
“I know how to handle stubbornness.” He went to the cupboard.
What was he going to do? Mandy’s body tensed while she waited. Her pussy kept clenching. A throbbing heat pounded between her legs. Shivers swept up and down her spine. She was nervous. Excited. Giddy.
Ironically, the Clark case might not have done a whole lot for her career, but it had done a great deal for her sex life. If she hadn’t been tailing Clark, she wondered how long it would have taken before she’d ventured into a bondage club.
If she hadn’t been tailing Clark, she wondered how long it would have taken for her to meet Zane. Maybe she wouldn’t have met him at all.
He was back. She sensed him behind her. She heard wrappers crackling. She heard other sounds, too. Sounds she couldn’t identify. Her spine stiffened.
“Some doms might see that stubborn streak of yours as a fault. I don’t.”
“Glad to hear that.”
“But that doesn’t mean I don’t expect you to be obedient and submissive when the time calls for it.”
“Like ... ?”
“Like when we are in the dungeon.”
“Understood.” Something dragged down her back, from her nape to her ass. Tails from a flogger, she guessed. Would he strike her? She’d never been whipped before. How painful would it be?
Goose bumps erupted over her shoulders, down her back. She shivered, hot and cold at the same time.
“For a woman, sexual arousal is as much mental as it is physical. Wouldn’t you agree?” He dragged the flogger down her back again.
She trembled. “I can’t argue with that statement.”
“So, when you’re being fucked, what do you imagine?”
“I imagine ...” Her face flushed. Was she really going to admit something so silly? “I saw this movie once. It was about a woman who was in a foreign country, in the Middle East somewhere. She went to jail and somehow ended up in a king’s harem.”
“Ah, then you’d like to be kidnapped?”
“Not in real life, no. But in my imagination, it’s scary and sexy.”
She felt something hard, not the flogger, touch her
labia. She flinched, then relaxed. Being in this position, so helpless, unable to see what he was about to do, was so exciting. The thing nudged at her wet slit. Whatever it was, she wanted it inside her.
“Tell me more,” Zane said.
Growing breathless, Mandy continued. “The woman was forced to become his wife. She was prepared for him.”
“Prepared?”
“Bathed by his other wives.”
“Touched by them?”
“Yes.”
The toy, a dildo, inched inside her cunt. Only the tip. It wasn’t deep enough.
“What else?”
“They dressed her in a beautiful gown, translucent, sexy. The whole preparation was so exciting.”
“Yes, building up the tension. That’s what turns you on, doesn’t it, baby?” He pushed the toy deeper inside.
Still, it wasn’t deep enough. Not even close.
“More.”
“She went to the king. She was scared. She didn’t know if he’d be cruel or gentle.”
“Like me.”
“Yes,” she admitted in a soft voice.
“I’m your king.” He pushed the toy a little deeper.
A wave of erotic heat rippled through her body.
She gulped in a deep breath. Her inner muscles clenched around the toy, holding it inside. Trying to draw it deeper. “Yes.”
“What happens next?”
“He tells her to undress. She’s terrified but at the same time, he’s a handsome man. His clothes don’t hide the fact that his body is beautifully formed. His eyes are assessing as he looks at her.”
“She likes it.”
“Yes.”
Zane pushed the toy deeper still. It was almost there. Not quite deep enough.
“What happens next?”
“He touches her for the first time.”
“And ...?”
“Her body reacts.”
He pushed the toy all the way in, and Mandy shuddered. A charge of sensual energy buzzed up to her scalp and down to her toes.
“Like that?” he asked.
“Yes.”
He touched her anus. “Hold my cock in your pussy. Hold it tight.”
“Yessss.” Her inner walls clamped tight, and another wave of pleasure buzzed through her body.
“Damn, your cunt is so tight. So pretty.” His fingertip circled her labia, brushing lightly over her clit.
Instinctively, she rocked her hips forward, trying to press her clit against his hand.
“Oh, no. I’m the one in control now. The story isn’t over yet. I can’t let you come until it is.” That wicked finger traveled back, toward her anus. It stopped there, and the ring of muscles clenched. Her pussy tightened, too. Another wave, this one bigger, hotter, washed through her body. “What happens next?”
She could barely think, let alone keep track of a story line. A big toy was planted deep inside her throbbing pussy. And Zane’s lubed finger was now circling her anus. She knew what was coming next in this scene. But in the story... ?
“Think, Amanda.”
A growl of frustration slipped between her lips. “You’re not making this easy.”
“I know.” He pushed a fingertip into her ass.
Instantly, her body gripped it. Her pussy clasped the toy. A huge, almost overpowering surge of erotic need blazed through her body.
“Oh, God.”
“Finish the story, Amanda.”
She fought to remember. “He takes her to the bed and makes her lie down.”
“You like to be on your back when you fuck? Submissive? Powerless. Open.”
“Yessss.”
“Mmmm. You look pretty lying on your back, your legs spread for me.”
God, just the way he’d said that almost made her come. “Please?”
“Please what?” He added some more lube to his finger before pushing it deeper into her ass.
She bit back a whimper. “Please fuck me. Like that.”
“The story isn’t over yet.”
“The king fucked his new bride,” she snapped. “The end.”
“Nice try.”
He pushed his finger deeper into her ass. The man was far crueler than she’d ever imagined.
“Tell me what happens next or I’ll take out the toy and that will be ‘the end’ for you, too.”
“Bastard.”
He chuckled. It was an evil-sounding laugh. Not scary-evil. Sexy-evil.
Her hips started rocking back and forth to the thumping pulses of heat rushing through her body. “He parts her pussy lips with one hand and slowly pushes two fingers inside.”
“Mmmm.” Zane withdrew his finger, but only to add a second. The tips of the fingers slipped past the tight ring of muscles, sliding deep inside.
Mandy cried out from the pleasure. “Oh, God, Zane.”
“Tell me the rest.”
“I c-can’t.”
“You must.”
She quivered. Her legs were shaking. Her body was coiling into a hard, tight knot. She could feel her orgasm building, the heat rumbling through her body like distant thunder. “He takes her. On a dais. In front of everyone. Claims her. Makes her his, with everyone watching.”
“Now, that is some story.”
Zane withdrew the toy, but just as Mandy whimpered, he thrust it back in. In and out, the dildo glided. Harder, faster. It was easy for Mandy to close her eyes and imagine it was Zane’s cock stroking her into oblivion while a room full of people watched.
“I am your king,” Zane murmured. “And I claim you, Amanda. You are mine. Let them all watch, witness, as I make you mine.”
As he said that last word, Mandy tumbled over the edge, falling into a powerful orgasm. She quaked and spasmed, breath-stealing electrical charges blasting through her body, zooming up and down her spine. All thoughts vanished as sensation overtook her. Tastes. Smells. Sounds. She licked her lips, drawing in the flavor of Zane’s kiss. She pulled in a gasp, swallowing the scent of her own need, heavy in the air. She heard Zane’s distant voice, murmuring soothing words as she slowly drifted out of the churning, wild mire of sensation.
“Oh, God,” she mumbled when she could finally speak again.
“I’m going to make your fantasy come true. Every single detail of it,” Zane whispered breathlessly as he unfastened the cuffs holding her wrists.
“Including ... ?”
“Yes, including that. I’m going to fuck you so slowly, so sweetly you’ll beg for release.” He helped her sit up. Sitting on the floor, he pulled her onto his lap. He brushed her hair out of her face. “Friday night. I’ll tell you when and where later, after all the details are arranged.”
She kissed him. “I’m looking forward to it.” Pulling out of his arms, she rose up onto her knees. Her legs were still shaky. Arms, too.
“Where are you going?”
“I have a job interview. Remember?”
“Oh. Damn. I forgot.”
She checked the clock hanging on the wall. “No worries. I can still make it.”
He wrapped a thick arm around her waist, pulling her back down. “Do you want to make it?”
He nibbled on her shoulder, and a fresh coat of goose bumps prickled her skin.
“Sure.” She didn’t sound so sure, even to her own ears.
“You owe me nothing. If you don’t want the job, you don’t have to take it.”
“In that case, I’d rather stay here a little longer.”
Falling onto his back, he pulled her down with him, until she was lying on top of him. He tucked her hair behind her ears. “That’s probably a good idea. With that head injury, you could use some bed rest. You’re looking a little pale yet.” Logrolling, he flipped her over onto her back, wedging his hips between her thighs. “Let’s see if we can bring a little color back to that beautiful face of yours.” His hand slid between her thighs, and sure enough, she felt her face pinking up nicely.
19
The following Friday night, Mandy stood n
ude, her body tense, while lavender-and-vanilla-scented steam wafted over her body. At exactly seven, a limo had picked her up, transporting her to a building—what seemed to be a private residence—built to resemble a medieval castle. At the moment, she was standing in a large room, stone tiles gleaming. The flickering light of dozens of candles reflected off the still, clear water in the built-in swimming pool. Off to one side, a hot tub was overflowing with white, fragrant frothy foam. It was quite a setting.
But that wasn’t the least of it. Three women, all of them stunningly beautiful, surrounded her. They were nude as well, with the exception of beaded chains hanging from their nipple rings, draping gracefully across their toned bodies. A third chain joined them at the center, hanging down the middle of flat, tanned stomachs, the other end disappearing into labial folds.
One of them, the tallest, motioned to the hot tub. “My queen,” she said, extending a hand to Mandy.
Mandy accepted her hand as she stepped down into the water. One step, two, three and she was waist-deep in hot but not scalding water. The women, all three of them, filed in after her. Slightly uncertain about the idea of living out this particular part of her fantasy, Mandy moved to the back of the tub to give them room. She’d never touched another woman intimately. Hell, she’d never been in the same room with another nude woman. If it wasn’t for the fact that her pussy was thrumming, she might have thought this was a very bad idea.
Recalling what she’d said had happened next, her tingling pussy clamped tighter.
They were going to touch her. Everywhere.
Still standing, arms crossed over her body, Mandy pressed her thighs together.
“His Majesty’s instructions were very specific,” the tall one said, moving toward Mandy.
“They were?” Mandy forced her gaze down, to the point where the woman’s suntanned skin disappeared into the thick blanket of white foam. “What are your names?” Mandy asked.
“Jennifer,” the tallest one said as she circled around Mandy, stopping directly behind her. “The blonde is Rachel. And the brunette Lindsay.”
“Thanks.”
Jennifer gathered Mandy’s hair in her hands, gently coiling it onto the top of her head. Rachel and Lindsay each took one of Mandy’s hands in theirs and massaged her palms.
